Greek life cleans up after homecoming

When parade-goers left the 2013 Homecoming Parade, someone had to clean up after all the floats, candy and onlookers.

Thirteen Indiana University of Pennsylvania fraternities and 12 sororities stepped up to the challenge.

The parade cleanup takes place along the whole parade route, from the loading zone at Mack Park to where the parade ends on Oakland Avenue.

The volunteers come from the social Greek community with each chapter being responsible for a portion of the parade route. Each fraternity and sorority is paired up, and the parade route is divided by block.

For example, Phi Delta Theta and Zeta Tau Alpha cleaned up the loading zone in Mack Park, and the next group cleaned up between Eighth and Ninth streets and so on.

“The Homecoming Parade Cleanup started in 2003 as a way to engage students in community service during the homecoming weekend,” Betsy Sarneso, Center for Student Life assistant director, said.

The goal of the cleanup is for each group to pick up extras left over from the parade such as candy and other trash.

Interfraternity Council president Ryan Egan said that they do the cleanup as community service.

“The floats are a big part of the parade, and this is our way of giving back and helping out,” he said.

The floats were loaded for the parade starting at 4:30 a.m., and all of the trucks were in position to begin by 7 a.m.

Mack Park had to be completely cleaned up by 9 a.m., and everyone was finished cleaning up their zones by 1 p.m., according to Egan.

This was the 11th year of the cleanup, with an average of 10 participants from each group.